A number of people who volunteer with MoH keep online blogs that chronicle their experiences and serve as a form of open letter to loved ones and supporters back home. For the uninitiated, the term “blog” is short for “Web Log,” and these online diaries feature words, images, sound and video, and are accessible to virtually anyone through the World Wide Web.
The entries of these citizen-journalists who volunteer with MoH run the gamut from joyful to heart wrenching, but in every case they provide a candid witness and a personal perspective on what it’s like to work with the orphans of Malawi.
One of the most current blogs is from Briana Klemp, a 29 year-old registered nurse from Farmington, Missouri.
Monday, October 29, 2007
"Mada" was on my heart tonight. I can't help but be drawn to this little girl. She is as alive as anyone I have ever met, yet she will probably not live a full life. Born to a HIV positive mother, she too is infected. Her father is still alive and remains HIV negative, but we are unsure at this time if he has the capability to care for her...She really is one of the most loving little ones I have ever cared for. Always happy... always. All of these babies need prayer, but today I just ask that you send up a special prayer for Madalitso. That her life would be blessed with health and happiness. That she would have a wonderful loving family, whether it is with her biological family, or another.
Some blog posts reveal desperate situations as volunteers struggle to make a difference in a country whose problems can at times seem overwhelming. The Langdon family from Washington state ran the Crisis Nursery in the city of Mzuzu for more than a year. A post from their blog related the story of a baby whose mother had died of AIDS and whose father, who was also HIV positive, agreed to give him up for adoption. Yet, when the time came for him to go to an adoptive family the father refused, saying he now wanted the child back.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Mphatso was our first baby and has been with us for almost a year. He is very special to us and it is heartbreaking for us to let him go to a family that has struggled from the beginning and will continue to struggle. The wonderful news is that God loves him and is aware of all the details of his life which I am not. I can rest only because God is faithful and His ways are past finding out.
Blogs can also be a two-way avenue of communication. Most blog sites have a comment function that allows readers to respond to specific entries. In the blogs about MoH readers often respond with words of encouragement and support.
“Briana,
Your Aunt Becky hooked me up with your Blog, and she forwards me your comments. What an angel you are to these precious babies. I thank God that he has sent you to show them what it is like to be loved unconditionally. I read your daily comments and shed tears...tears of happiness and sadness at the same time. Know that your safety and well-being are constantly in my prayers. What a special girl you are!!!”
It is difficult to know how many people write about their MoH experience in blogs but since January of this year, approximately a dozen bloggers have put links on their sites to the MoH Web site. In addition, a number of churches and other groups that visit MoH put stories of their experiences on their own Web sites. You can read, hear and see their tales by following some of the links below.
Blogs
http://brianaklemp.blogspot.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com/brianaklemp
http://www.amanonamission.org/weblog/
http://suffer-the-little-children.blogspot.com/
http://loickwan.boardinglobe.com/
http://www.stauffacherfamily.blogspot.com/
Web site links from churches
http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/letters/dimmockf/dimmockf_0511.htm
http://www.saintmarkchurch.org/outreach.html#Malawi
http://www.libertycorner.org/home/howwehelp/globalmissions/malawi/moh/
http://w2.crosspointchurches.org/index.php
If you host a blog or know those who do you can also help spread the word about MoH by placing a link on your blog or by encouraging your church or organization to link to our Web site. Our Web address is http://www.ministryofhope.org.
